Jeep Wrangler ute 2019 spied off-road testing

Jeep’s Wrangler ute is promising to be pretty capable off-road, with some heavily-camouflaged prototypes spied getting down and dirty on the Rubicon Trail in the USA.

The pictures, published to a Jeep forum, show a number of the new utes – expected to be called the Wrangler Scrambler – being put to work on an off-road trail. And we mean work; take a closer look at the camouflage wrapping in these images, it has taken an absolute battering.

The long-teased ladder-frame ute is still yet to make its public debut, and its Australian launch date remains unclear – though it is confirmed for our market. But with the incoming JL Wrangler’s local launch date today moved from Q3 2018 to Q1 2019, we’d be shocked to see a Scrambler here before the middle of next year.

The new JL Wrangler will be offered (internationally at least) with a 2.2-litre diesel engine, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit and a big V6 petrol. But which of those will make their way into the Scrambler is yet to be revealed. US dealership documents have pointed to a 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine, too, though that’s likely only for the American market.